Portable personal listening devices are known in the art. One type of headphone for such devices is known as an ‘earbud.’ Earbuds are headphones of a smaller size placed directly outside the ear canal, but without fully enveloping it. Earbud headphones rely on an anchorage between the tragus and anti-tragus to hold them in place. However, this anchorage is tenuous and earbuds can be easily dislodged by tugging action exerted on the wires of the headphones.
In an attempt to compensate for this problem, a variety of devices have been developed to help anchor the headphones in place adjacent the auditory canal. These devices are generally hook-shaped members held fast between the ear and head of a user, and which hook over the top of the ear to dispose the headphone speaker in front of the ear. While these devices prevent the headphones from dislodging altogether, they are ineffective during strenuous exercise, since movement of the auricularis muscles cause the auricula of the ear to move, causing the speakers of the headphones to move relative to the auditory canal.
Another problem with ‘earhook’ type headphones is that the anchors are permanently affixed to the speakers. If a user wishes to switch to a different set of headphone speakers, a entirely new earhook must be purchased. U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,171 to Marshall discloses an interchangeable earpiece for stereo listening to address this problem. In Marshall, the speaker and wire is removable from the earpiece for interchanging different headphones and earpieces. However, the earpiece in Marshall attaches to the speaker in a manner that holds the speaker relative to the earpiece, resulting in the aforementioned problem of dislodging the speaker.
There is a need for an ‘earhook’ type device that interchangeably holds an ‘earbud’ type headphone, and which allows a user to engage in strenuous activity without dislodging the speaker of the headphone from the ear. There is also a need for an ‘earhook’ device that can accommodate a variety of sizes of ears.
Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide an assembly that affixes to the ear of a user, disposed between the ear and the head, hooking over the top of the ear. A further object of the present invention is to provide an assembly that can interchangeably hold an ‘earbud’ type headphone. Another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly that can adjust to a variety of ear sizes. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an assembly that can interchangeably hold an ‘earbud’ type headphone in a manner that allows the headphone to move relative to the assembly. These and other objects are further developed in the following summary, description and claims.